You shall put these words of mine in your heart and soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and fix them as an emblem on your forehead. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, so that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land that the Lord swore to your ancestors to give them, as long as the heavens are above the earth.

Deuteronomy 11:18-21

I invite you to try Journal Writing as a spiritual discipline. Many of us think of journal writing as a hobby or a way to simply capture thoughts or our schedule at the end of the day. However, this is supposed to be something more than just a “dear diary” experience. Intentional journal writing as a spiritual practice can take a variety of forms, but it is an opportunity for us to take some deliberate time to reflect on God’s role in our daily lives.

Journal writing can be an opportunity to reflect on a piece of scripture each day. It can be a place where you jot down all the things for which you are grateful. Your journal can be a place where you reflect on big questions in life and those reflections can be ongoing conversations between you and God. You can write a question to yourself as a prompt and just go from there. The blank pages can be a place to practice difficult conversations with friends or family and then reflect on the insights from that dialog. You could focus on an element in nature and spend some quality time reflecting on how God has made that part of nature and how we are all connected. Try to set some time aside, turn off distractions, and make this a prayer practice.

Your journal can be different each day. Truthfully, the hardest parts are carving out that dedicated time each day and actually starting.

Prayer

Merciful God, thank You for always listening. We rejoice at the variety of ways that we can talk to You and can listen for Your direction. We thank You for the blessings that You provide every day. We ask that You strengthen us to do Your work today and to speak Your love to those we meet. In Your name, Amen.